If you think this is another article pushing you to finally open up a social media account to promote your book- it is. I will go even further to say that you cannot publish your book without social media.

I know many heavy readers and scholarly type individuals who do not have time for social media. They cite the time wasting factor that everyone is turned into a voyeur, and finally that it doesn’t lead to sales anyway- so what’s the big deal. The truth is that establishing your presence on social media (and I’m including a personal website in my definition) is a critical step in publishing, marketing and selling your book. For all of the reasons listed above to not set it up and more!

Read on to find out what your readers want, and why you have to use social media to deliver.

1. Readers want to know you are real

As you begin as a new author or continue to build your brand as a veteran, more and more potential readers want to look you up and find out more about you. They want to know where to find you, they want to Google you, and most importantly: Readers want to know YOU! That personal connection they get from seeing your posts and reading your blogs is valuable and not only leads to sales, but lifelong fans.

You build this connection by making available the details about yourself that you are comfortable with. You create a website, so fan pages, and you connect with your readers on your terms to meet their need to know that you are real. The truth is that while you are so busy claiming you are protecting your privacy, you forget that this is a feature you can promote and let readers know! They can learn to respect boundaries, and speak to you on topics related to your book or based on what you decide to disclose. It actually can lead to a greater sense of closeness to your readers, without giving up your need to not tell everyone what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

2. Readers want to know how to reach you

Along with knowing you are real, authors also want to know what the best method is to communicate with you. Yes, hate mail can sometimes come with the package but consider your first one a badge of honor. You haven’t arrived until someone doesn’t like you! Readers want to tell you what they think, and guiding them to a medium of communication that best suit you is wise. Yes, occasionally they will vent but more often they just want to show their support and say “great job!”.

Using social media to connect with your authors gives you the benefit of:

Not having it clutter your work or personal email boxes

Being able to engage on your own terms

Twitter, for example, forces you to be brief in any contact you make. This is ideal as it prevents the majority of those long rambling letters. Facebook does not have any such restrictions, however it is still very cumbersome to type a full length email in their chat box. You can also host parties online, where you let fans know that you will only be replying to messages via this event. You get to set the rules, all readers want to know is what they are and how they can play along.

3. Readers want to let their friends know about you

Your fans want to share information about you easily. Having a website, Facebook, Twitter or even Goodreads account allows them to easily send a suggestion their way or a direct link. We are a technology driven society, and while some of us need to learn to pick up the phone more it balances out in the other direction as well. Do not lose touch with real life, but remember that the internet brings the whole world together.

My husband has music fans all over the world because he made sure his work was available in as many formats and locations as possible, and he connects with each one as they register as a fan. His personal life is still private, but now there is a mode of communication open where fans can know he’s real, reach out to him and share with a friend.

Getting Started

As a successful author, or one who is on their way, it’s important not to discount the needs of your fans to be able to connect and know you are real, available and open to more connections. This is what builds your fan base, not just a good book. If you are ready to take the next step, I suggest you take a look at Susan Gunelius’ 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing before getting started.

Rochelle Carter is the Publisher at Ellechor Media LLC, an award-winning publishing company with three imprints. She is also the award-winning author of The 7-Step Guide To Authorpreneurship, an international bestseller that has been widely endorsed by other bestselling authors and industry professionals.

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